New Page: How to Nominate Someone for a 2013 IAAE Award

A new page has been added to this IAAE News Blog! Click the tab above to learn how to nominate a colleague for recognition at the 2013 IAAE State Conference.

IAAE Board Member Wins Golden Apple Teacher of the Year

Each year KIMT-TV, a television station known as "Iowa-Minnesota Television" allows viewers to nominate teachers for weekly Golden Apple Awards on their website. The end of the year culminates with the prestigious "Teacher of the Year" award. This year's final award winner comes from Carrie Lane High School in Charles City: IAAE Board Member, Josh Dean.

Watch the news story about Josh's award below. Congratulations, Josh! We are proud to have you positively representing alternative educators from across the state.

2011 IAAE Vincent C. Scavo Grant Winners

Every year the IAAE provides seed money to alternative schools and programs to jump start efforts
to improve. Through the Vincent C Scavo grant program last year, the IAAE  provided Northeast Alternative High School with $500 to purchase high interest books to add to their library.

We had many requests this year. The following five schools were awarded $300 each in grant money:

• Bernie Kraft, COMPASS Alternative Center: toward a perennial garden
•  Lisa Hackman, Missouri Valley Alternative Center for Education (ACE): towards a Wii for fitness
• Jayme Hurley, Buchanan County Success Center: toward community learning opportunities
• Tina Turner, Creative Learning Center, Fort Madison: toward fitness equipment
• Kristin Flynn, Kimberly Center, Davenport: toward Xbox for fitnes

2011 IAAE Award Winners Announced

The Newcomer of the Year Award was presented to Linda Litterer from Creative Learning Center in Fort Madison. In the two years that Linda has been in alternative education, significant changes have been made to strengthen the program.  Among other things, she has been instrumental in creating an attendance policy, goal setting with staff and students, increasing community involvement, and boosting participation in the credit recovery program.  She diagnoses students’ needs by reviewing the data, interviewing the students and families, and creates an individual education plan for students based on their specific needs. She models the expected behavior and makes the alternative classroom a welcoming and successful environment for her students. Congratulations Linda!!

The Educator of the Year Award and $50.00 "bagel bucks" for a celebration with the staff was presented to Tascha Brown of Ankeny High School.   She volunteers time to work with students after school and during the summer school program. She has branched out to other staff members and has assisted them in differentiating and understanding the variety of needs that students have and continues to advocate for school wide change to better meet the needs of all students.  Tascha is dedicated to at-risk students, working tirelessly to improve reading skills, has become a mentor to students and finds ways to reach the most unreachable.  Congratulations Tascha!!

Susan Holderness

The Jim Fenton Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Susan Holderness of Walnut Creek Campus.  She has provided exposure to a world that many students would never have the chance to experience, providing learning opportunities by taking them to performances, historical sites, large cities to experience art, food, architecture, and fashion, as well as bringing the world into the school through guest artists and speakers.  Her many years working in the area of family consumer science have focused students in finding their careers and better personal lives.  She continues to be an advocate for education in the arts, especially with alternative students. Thank you, Susan, for your  hard work and dedication!! Congratulations!

Pam Courtney and Lisa Demuth present the Hall of Fame Award

Dr. Charles Greenwood, a pioneer in alternative education in the state of Iowa, was inducted into the the Iowa Alternative Education Hall of Fame.  Dr. Greenwood was instrumental in creating the first alternative school in Iowa; the Des Moines Alternative School, now known as Scavo High School, and the Iowa Association for Alternative Education.  He has been an advocate for alternative education, often standing up to mainstream ideology that wanted all schools to be alike.  His early efforts to form a statewide association to continue to address and expand alternative school philosophies and educational strategies, to stand for student-centered education, and to find a pathway for all students to meet the education goals of their community are recognized in this award.  Thank you, Dr. Greenwood, and congratulations!

Dr. Charles Greenwood